Last month the New Democrats moved out of third place, and into a statistical tie with the other two parties.

This week’s Forum poll also found that a majority of Liberal and NDP voters want the two parties to form a coalition if the Conservatives win a minority government in October.

Among Liberal and NDP supporters, 75 per cent and 76 per cent respectively support a coalition of the centre-left. There was only 12 per cent support among Conservatives for a coalition.

“Well, we can’t speak of a tie anymore, or a hung parliament. The NDP own first place fair and square,” Forum Research president Lorne Bozinoff said in a statement, referring to the federal race.

He later added: “It may be wondered at this point, however, if the NDP aren’t cresting too soon, four months out from E (election) Day.”

All three of the leading parties are tied in Ontario, with the NDP at 33 per cent, the Liberals at 31 per cent and the Conservatives at 30 per cent.

In Quebec, the NDP are out front with 31 per cent backing them, the Bloc under returning leaderGilles Duceppe at 26 per cent, and the Liberals, 24 per cent. The Conservatives don’t contend in Quebec, (15 per cent), the poll found.

In Alberta, which elected an NDP government provincially May 5, the federal NDP is very close (35%) behind the dominant Conservatives (39%) in support, according to Forum’s latest survey. The Liberals are favoured by 19 per cent of respondents.

Regarding the coalition question, Bozinoff said the latest poll results show Liberal and New Democrat voters each find coalition “appropriate’’ and want to enter into one with the other side in the event of a Conservative minority.

He noted that Conservative voters are wary of a co-operative government, “perhaps because they know they are no one’s preferred partner.’’

The latest telephone poll surveyed 1,281 randomly selected Canadian adults using an interactive voice response method. The results are considered accurate plus or minus 3 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.